


Beauty and Beastly

by Moonsetta



Series: Beauty and the Bat [3]
Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Death, Dick Grayson/Slade Wilson (unrequited), Hurt, M/M, Romance, Sad, constructive criticism NEEDED, fight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-27
Updated: 2015-11-27
Packaged: 2018-05-03 15:51:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5297228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonsetta/pseuds/Moonsetta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Companion piece to Beauty and the Bat. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing before, now or...after?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beauty and Beastly

**Author's Note:**

> I know I know. I have not written much in…forever ago. The weight of pursuing a degree can really get to you though it’s not as stressful as I thought it would be it does keep me pretty busy. In addition, I have Finals this week and then I’m taking a vacation to see my family, old friends and boyfriend. It’s so hard when you live half of a country apart. 
> 
> Either way this was random and partly because my Composition Professor said “study your advanced vocabulary” so I just added onto something already written instead of coming up with something new. Lazy me! Enjoy or not-your choice.

Before…

_“If I didn’t know you I’d assume you were in love with this monster.”_

_Dick shot around to face him, hugging the mirror within the curve of his left arm and his face drawn inward nearly closed off in rage. His emotive blue eyes glinted with crossness long hidden behind mental blockades as his voice bolted into the impassioned air surrounding them in haste._

_“So what if I am!?”_

And here he was-

Now…

He glowered up, the act out of a fairy tale amended into the backdrop of the dark sky above portraying out before him. The Beast –a reality when he had taken the mirror, had used it to guide him through the dark woods and directly to the monster. A creature of darkness. A vile, putrid mock creation of life sporting every tool of a mythical vampire. The sharp claws, the fangs, the wings and the longing for blood. And the young man that had been his fixation for years was reaching out towards the Beast, ready to help it…ready to love it. Dick Grayson’s eyes were shining with relief and a smile was beginning to grow on his face. A smile focused upon the Beast. A smile that he had never shown to Slade Wilson.

And as startling as it appeared for anyone who knew him:

…His heart severed in two.

His gray eye searched out any evidence for denial of the scene-any viable proof that what was set before his eyes was a torturous artifice. Simply created to drag claws across his chest. He felt the marks rip open as he heard the voices over the wind of the incoming storm; his eyes falling closed with exhaustion from his fight.

"You came back."

"Of course I did. I couldn't let them kill you."

“Thank you."

"I thought I was going to be too late."

 

Slade pried his eyes open again and his jaw tightened when he discerned the figures behind the rain and wind. They were enfolded in each other’s embrace…like lovers.

Rage was expected and he let it take him. Lifting his bleeding arm his hand tripped over his knee and pressingly worked out the knife concealed below the dented armor. Not that said armor had done much against vampire claws and strength but he would alleviate that in the future. Either way the scene above was disgusting. This was not some convoluted fairy tale for Dick Grayson to wrap himself up in. The Beast would be the demise of the young man. He was youthful and imprudent; had no idea how this worked. His mind was always fixated on his juvenile little circus acts and someone needed to enlighten him. Being cooped up in a dark manor hidden beyond miles of woods away from the sun and the people he loved was no way to live. Staying here would be Dick Grayson’s culmination. There was no happy ending with this Beast.

Pushing against the wall, Slade readjusted himself up on to his feet and fell sideways to grasp onto the cracked stone, his fingers finding the indents made by the creature’s claws. Above the wind he heard the smallest sounds of the duo speaking as he began his climb.

"Yeah, the little stowaway."

"Dick. I-need to tell you something."

He would tell him nothing!

Slade sped up his ascent and only stopped when he felt the slight reformed stream of the wind. Glancing up he grinned at the clear opening of the Beast’s right side. His tired hand fell to the side of his knee, gripping the knife while he tensed his muscles for multiple strikes.

“Dick, I lo-”

NO! Growling Slade heaved himself up and thrust the blade into the Beast’s side, reeling in pleasure at the response of a dying animal. It was verification enough for him. Just an animal, a creature, a beast…just a monster. Here and now it came to light in that one roar of pain from a creature beneath human contemplation. Not human…not competition. Dick would see…

"SLADE!"

Perfect. Dick was seeing the veracity. Slade tore the knife out for a second strike, his left hand locked firmly to brace him against the adjacent wall. He was blinded between rage, adrenaline, the water, the wind and love. The love he would hold close once this over. Once it was all over he would be there for the young man that he wanted. They’d go back to Gotham and he’d show him the reality of that love. He’d prove it!

Time for a second stab and-

-!

He had not seen it until something solid had shaded his gaze over with black. It hit him fast and hard. It hit him in the face and he felt a mixture of cartilage and bone crack beneath the collision. He lost his hold on the wall and the surrounding solid surfaces disappeared as he was thrown back into the vacant air below. Indeed the overhang came up to meet his spine once again only much quicker than he had foreseen.

Dazed and winded he had to combat his way to consciousness beyond the rain now filling his mouth-which he spat out quickly and sat up with short bated breaths. He noted he had lost not only his hold on the wall but the large dagger he had used was no longer even in sight though his right hand was still curled over itself as if trying to establish that it was there; to fight against the reality that it no longer was. In the minute it took to reestablish his inclined view of the world around him he overheard the shouts below of victory; for who he wasn’t certain but there was a sad calmness in the air now.

As luck would have it his eyes fell across the forgotten scratches, tangible existence of his battle against the Beast, in the stone below his feet. And what he found reignited his purpose. There was the very handgun he had lost when clashing with the creature. He stretched forward and yanked it from the split stone it had become wedged in. His glare shot upwards as the storm took a null moment to clear the way for him to gaze upon the two beings above. He just needed to aim…

But for some reason he felt light headed and suddenly tasted metallic liquid on his tongue.

-His vital mistake was ignoring it. Ignoring the fact that the Beast had been occupied curled over the rail before it in pain so only one person could have cracked the bones in Slade’s face. Over the railing and rebounding without falling. As if gravity was just too busy to be effective at the moment.

Raising the gun at the large black Beast Slade grinned as the monster stood up straighter and spread out its wings, giving the assassin a much easier target. At this distance it was no problem!

He ignored the dark, the rain and wind picking up speed once again, the handgun’s shine from soaking in the downpour, the gray cloud cover making it even darker.

None of it mattered because he was the best!

In addition he heard Dick speaking again:

"You had something to tell me?"

One shot and he would be free.

**BANG!**

All that he needed as the Beast snarled in pain for a second time. Again, an animalistic call that proved it was less than human. But no-!

The Beast was turning. He had missed!

Slade clenched his teeth and primed for a second shot. The Beast’s spread wings retracted above with another animistic rumble now occupied by rage instead of aguish or ache. It didn’t matter-so it would take two shots.

However he never got the chance, his mouth falling down in a gasp as his eye bypassed the large creature and his hands shook at the revelation that the Beast had not yet noticed.

Dick Grayson was staring out at the air, eyes wide and his chest open that was stained black and red. He had shot him!

He didn’t see the Beast rip rock apart and even if Slade did notice the stone splinter aimed at him he was too shocked at the reality of blood splashed across the chest of the one he had had planned so much for.

_Love._

It hit him at the same time as the modified spear. The gun fell from his gasp and he staggered back to the verge of the overhang. He ironically discovered his knife again as the foot he attempted to brace himself with fell onto the rounded handle and tipped him further back. He gaped up at the wide eyed gaze of his love and finally forced out into a whisper-

“I love you.”

His last sight was seeing Dick Grayson fall into the panicking arms of the Beast.

…

…

…

  
_After_

It was so ironic. The TRUE love story.

THEY had died together.

* * *

[](http://s1381.photobucket.com/user/MoonsettaRays/media/Covers/Beauty%20and%20Beastly%20II_zpsuydiypy1.jpg.html)

**Author's Note:**

> Do me a favor and critique the hell out of this one. I NEED it!
> 
> Update: my apologies, somewhere-somehow most of this one-shot vanished and my attempts to repair it have lead to all kind of crazy web errors and glitches. Hopefully this finally stabilizes. Warn me if anything vanishes again.


End file.
